remotesensing-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Mechanisms in Drylands and Their Remote Sensing Retrieval & Simulation (Second Edition)

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Atmospheric Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2180

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Arid Meteorology, CMA, Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Reducing Disaster of Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Disaster Reduction of CMA, Lanzhou 730020, China
Interests: land–atmosphere interaction; atmospheric boundary; the oasis microclimate; drought monitoring; warning and risk management; cloud water resources development; hail monitoring and warning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China
Interests: land surface processes and land–atmosphere interactions; atmospheric boundary layer physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Arid Meteorology, CMA, Lanzhou 730020, China
Interests: land–atmosphere interaction; drought-induced disaster mechanism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
College of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China
Interests: land–atmosphere interaction; boundary layer meteorology; evapotranspiration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for Semi-Arid Climate Change of the Ministry of Education, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: climate feedbacks in dryland ecosystems; dryland climate change and mechanisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Precipitation and evapotranspiration, as the two main components of the hydrological cycle, are essential for water resources, agriculture, and ecosystem management. Drylands, covering about 45% of the Earth’s land surface, are home to more than 38% of the world’s population and are one of the most sensitive areas to climate change and human activities. Over drylands, precipitation and evapotranspiration are scarce and highly variable. An accurate characterization of precipitation and evapotranspiration properties is lacking due to the limited ground monitoring systems typical of these regions. Precipitation and evapotranspiration mechanisms are complex and different from other regions. Precipitation is also strongly coupled with evapotranspiration in these regions due to strong land–atmosphere interactions.  Improving our understanding of the mechanisms in precipitation and evapotranspiration and their simulation over dryland is a top priority for weather and climate research. Satellites have been providing vital information from multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal, and microwave remote sensing data to estimate precipitation. ET is a multifaceted variable and is controlled by a combination of radiative, atmospheric, and vegetation drivers, which could be obtained from remote sensing. Estimation from satellite observations provides the opportunity to improve our knowledge of precipitation and evapotranspiration in these regions.

To promote wide communication on the subject, we convened a session AS31 at the AOGS2022 19th Annual Meeting with a similar theme: “Precipitation Mechanisms in Drylands and Their Simulation”. This Special Issue builds on the session and expands and enriches the research themes for a wider research scope.

This Special Issue will showcase recent efforts in applying remote sensing data in precipitation and evapotranspiration research, including remote sensing inversion methods on precipitation and evapotranspiration, precipitation mechanisms and evapotranspiration regulation mechanisms, and numerical simulation studies based on remote sensing combined with other data. This subject involves the multidisciplinary intersection of atmospheric and hydrometeorological sciences with remote sensing. It fits well with the research scope of this journal.

This Special Issue invites contributions dealing with the retrieval of precipitation and evapotranspiration data on different spatial and temporal scales, monitoring their dynamics, exploring the mechanisms of precipitation and evapotranspiration, and improving simulation accuracy based on the integrated use of remotely sensed data and in situ measurements. Articles may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Retrieval of precipitation;
  • Estimation of evapotranspiration;
  • Evapotranspiration regulation mechanisms;
  • Validation of precipitation and evapotranspiration models;
  • Characterization of precipitation properties;
  • The impact of climate change on precipitation and evapotranspiration;
  • Spatial and temporal characteristics of evapotranspiration;
  • Precipitation mechanism;
  • Numerical simulation of precipitation and evapotranspiration;
  • Land–atmosphere interaction;
  • Drought and flood assessment and monitoring.

This Special Issue is the second edition of the Special Issue, “Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Mechanisms in Drylands and Their Remote Sensing Retrieval & Simulation”.

Prof. Qiang Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yu Zhang
Prof. Dr. Ping Yue
Dr. Zesu Yang
Dr. Yongli He
Prof. Dr. Simone Lolli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • precipitation
  • evapotranspiration
  • environmental regulations
  • sensible heat fluxes
  • soil moisture
  • precipitation recycling process
  • evapotranspiration partitioning
  • evapotranspiration–precipitation coupling
  • Asia summer monsoon
  • westerly wind
  • vegetation dynamics
  • numerical simulation
  • hydrological extremes
  • drylands

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 38991 KiB  
Article
Dynamics of the Net Precipitation in China from 2001 to 2020
by Jing Pan, Yongyue Ji, Lingyun Yan, Yixia Luo and Jilong Chen
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(12), 2094; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16122094 - 10 Jun 2024
Viewed by 997
Abstract
Net precipitation (NP) is the primary source of soil water essential for the functioning of vegetated ecosystems. By quantifying NP as the difference between gross precipitation and canopy interception evaporation, this study examined the dynamics of NP in China from 2001 to 2020 [...] Read more.
Net precipitation (NP) is the primary source of soil water essential for the functioning of vegetated ecosystems. By quantifying NP as the difference between gross precipitation and canopy interception evaporation, this study examined the dynamics of NP in China from 2001 to 2020 and the contribution of environmental factors to NP variations was investigated. The findings revealed a multiyear mean NP of 674.62 mm, showcasing a 2.93 mm/yr increase. The spatiotemporal variations in NP were mainly attributed to a remarkable increase in precipitation rather than canopy interception. Notably, climate (temperature, wind speed, surface solar radiation downward and vapor pressure deficit) and vegetation factors (leaf area index and net primary productivity) played a dominant role in NP in 61.53% and 15.39% of China, respectively. The dominant factors contributing to NP changes were vapor pressure deficit (mean contribution rate: −43.68%), temperature (mean contribution rate: 11.69%), and leaf area index (mean contribution rate: 2.13%). The vapor pressure deficit negatively exerts a negative influence on the southern and eastern regions. Temperature and leaf area index have the greatest effect on the northeastern and southwestern regions, respectively. The results provide valuable insights into the pivotal role of climatic and vegetation factors in ecohydrological cycles. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 11847 KiB  
Article
Estimating Evapotranspiration in the Qilian Mountains Using GRACE/GRACE-FO Satellite Data
by Bing Bai, Ping Yue, Xueyuan Ren, Qiang Zhang, Jinyu Zhang, Jinhu Yang and Youyan Jiang
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(11), 1877; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16111877 - 24 May 2024
Viewed by 749
Abstract
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the most significant constituent of the response to climate warming. It serves as a crucial link in the soil–vegetation–atmospheric continuum. Analyzing the driving forces and response of ET to regional-scale climate warming holds scientific significance in improving global water resource [...] Read more.
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the most significant constituent of the response to climate warming. It serves as a crucial link in the soil–vegetation–atmospheric continuum. Analyzing the driving forces and response of ET to regional-scale climate warming holds scientific significance in improving global water resource assessment methods and drought monitoring techniques. The innovation presented in this article is the calculation of ET by using GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite data through the water balance equation. The inter-annual and seasonal changes in ET in different regions of the Qilian Mountains were analyzed, along with quantifying the contribution of environmental meteorological factors to ET. The ETGRACE and ETMonitor products have good consistency, with a monthly correlation coefficient of 0.92, an NSE coefficient of 0.80, and a root mean square error of 10.38 mm. The results indicate that the increasing trend of ET in the Qilian Mountains region exhibits a “medium–high–low” distribution pattern. The rate of increase in ET is 5.2 mm/year in the central segment. In spring and summer, the overall trend of ET is an increasing one. However, the central and western segments exhibit a slight decreasing trend of ET in autumn. During winter, the southern part of the Qilian Mountains experiences a notable reduction in ET. The correlation between the changes in ET and soil moisture exhibited a strong association, with soil moisture change contributing significantly to ET: 57.8% for the eastern section, 52.8% for the middle section, and 46.9% for the western section. The thermal effect primarily controls ET variations within eastern sections, where temperature change accounts for approximately 6.7% of the total variation in ET levels. Conversely, the moisture factor dominates western sections, where precipitation change accounts for about 6.5% of the total variation in ET levels. Due to the distinct gradient characteristics of environmental meteorological factors in the central segment, the fluctuation of these factors collaboratively drives ET changes. This article provides a new approach for obtaining continuous and reliable actual evapotranspiration in high-altitude areas. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop